Market near downtown Dallas feeds demand for pasture-raised meat

A grass-fed meat market will come to what has just become Dallas' hottest new street: Ross Avenue. Jon and Wendy Taggart will open a Dallas branch of Burgundy's Local - Grass Fed Meat Market, similar to the market they opened in Fort Worth in 2014.

The store will offer the same lineup as their Fort Worth outlet with grass-fed beef, pork, chicken, grass-fed lamb, raw milk cheese, pastured eggs, and local honey, all raised and produced in North Central Texas. Their goal is to have the largest selection of sustainable pasture-raised meats in North Texas. Opening is forecast for fall 2016.

"In the past, our approach to getting our product to town was to home-deliver it to customers," Wendy says. "But we made a decision that we also wanted to do direct retail, instead of going into grocery stores or restaurants. That's what we know, and it keeps us in touch with our customers."

"We wanted to be north and east of downtown, and that's right about where we are," Wendy says. "We were grateful to find a place so centrally located with good parking. I felt it was important to be in Dallas. People don't mind driving in from the suburbs to shop, but I'm not sure that's true the other way around."

The Taggarts have their own USDA inspected butcher shop in Grandview, south of Fort Worth, where they cut and package beef, pork, and lamb. Beef cuts will include tri tip sirloin, sirloin flap, teres major, and beef shank (think osso bucco). Pasture-raised chickens will be dressed out weekly and delivered fresh to the store.

"In Fort Worth, we've been serving grass-fed beef hamburgers and hot dogs on the weekends, but we won't have a kitchen in the Dallas shop," she says. "I'm hoping to partner with a chef to do some prepared entrees that customers can take home and heat up."

The Taggarts have been raising grass-fed beef for 16 years.

"We hope the quality and uniqueness of our offering brings enrichment to the community," she says. "We're farmers and ranchers. I'm hoping I can do some things in the store that portray that."